I love you, I love you not.
'Prologue' My eleventh birthday was mostly uneventful, I had received some lovely presents- a dress from Mum and Dad, some money from the Aunties and Uncles and a book from my Grandparents. I read more than the average eleven year old so I knew it wouldn't take long for me to complete the book that I started the next day but in that moment I was looking forward to a nice, long sleep as it had been a very long day. Just before I was going to head up the stairs there was a knock on the door that would change my life as I knew it forever. My Mum jumped up from her seat next to my Dad to get it and I followed her, thinking it would be a family member coming to wish me 'Happy Birthday' but as I peered around my Mum I saw a black-haired woman with a long pointed hat that I didn't recognize and by the look on Mum's face, neither did she. Good evening Victoria, Mrs Hill. May I come in? I cringed inwardly at her use of my fully name, Mum looked too shocked to say anything, so she just stepped aside to let the woman come through. Thank-you. Mrs Hill I assume you know why I'm here? Mum nodded , I must have had a confused look on my face as the unknown woman passed my Mum a letter because she smiled at me and said, don't worry Victoria, I'll explain why I'm here. I'm Professor Minerva McGonagall from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I teach Transfiguration and I'm also the Deputy Headmistress. The reason I am here is to inform you that we have offered you a place at our school, starting the 1st September, the reason for this is that you're a witch. This means that your are able to perform magic, this magic is usually inherited from ancestors, but I'll let your mother explain the rest. Accepting a place at Hogwarts will not only give you a chance to learn how to use and control your magic, but it will also introduce you to the world of magic, it would be foolish of you not to accept a place. I realize this is a lot to take in so I will leave you now, if you decide to join us at Hogwarts all the details you need are in that letter as well as your ticket to get onto the train. Good evening. I was too shocked to do anything but nod at her as the professor left my house, I stood in the middle of the room contemplating what I had just been told. My Dad cleared his throat, the first sound he had made since McGonagall had entered our house. And Victoria? She said, pulling me out of my thoughts, I do hope you accept your place with us. And with that she strode into the night leaving confusion in her wake. Mum was the first person to break the silence, so I suppose I should explain everything, take a seat. I'm sorry I didn't tell you any of this earlier but I didn't know if you'd be magical or not seeing as your dad is a muggle and I'm a squib, so I didn't know if any magic would be passed through. A squib is a child of magical descent but with no magical powers for some unknown reason. Your grandparents were both half-bloods- which means half magical, as their parents where not of full magical blood, so I guess that's where you get your magic from. But because I'm a squib, I can't offer you much guidance in the magical world which is why I think you should go to Hogwarts, it's the best thing for you, but you have just over a month to think this through so get to bed now and we'll talk about it in the morning, okay? I just nodded as I headed up stairs, both my Mum's and the professor's words ringing in my ears but too tired to do any serious thinking in that moment I went straight to sleep. That night I had peaceful dreams about witches and wizards and Professor McGonagall, and I knew that in the morning I would accept my place at the school. 'Chapter 1: Diagon Alley' It had been five weeks since my birthday, and I found myself looking into the eyes of the most beautiful tawny owl at 'Eeylops Owl Emporium'. Mum had gone into Gringotts to change my Muggle money into magical currency, and then to buy my books. I had taken that time to do some exploring, which really turned into admiring the beautiful animal in front of me. The owl is question was white-breasted with little flecks of brown and ginger; it's wings, back and head were brown, with the occasional ginger feather hi-lighting the rich chocolate color and forming a pattern that stopped at the top of it's head, which was bordering a white star-shaped marking. It had gorgeous black eyes which were pronounced by the ginger outer-circle and white inner-circle around them. I had noticed this one among the rest because it was by far the most beautiful in the shop; the rest lacked the different shades that made this owl unique. Although I can admit I don't know a lot about owls, something told me that it was of a good breed and quality as it flew gracefully across the shop. As I was watching it, it landed and settled itself on my arm and I began stroking it. It was smooth and soft and I had fallen in love with the beautiful bird. Here you are! I've been to Flourish and Blotts and Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment. So, I've got you everything except your robes and wand, now, come along because once we've got that we can get home and you can pack, said Mum, startling the owl by her sudden appearance; it flew off my arm. She didn't notice and started to steer me out of the shop. Wait, Mum? Do I have enough money for an owl? I've seen a beautiful one! And this way I'll be able to send you letters throughout the school year, please? I asked; I had my hopes firmly set on the beautiful creature that had flown over to a shelf in the corner and was now grooming itself. Hm, well, I'm not sure how much it is for your robes, so we'll get you that first and we'll see if you have enough, okay? Now come along, I'm not sure if these wizard shops close at any times throughout the day like some of the Muggle shops do. 'Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions' was only one shop down on the opposite side of the street; soon enough I was stood on the small stand being measured and having the robes I had tried on magically adjusted. A little over half an hour later, I was walking back through the streets looking for Ollivander's holding my new robes in the shopping bad provided. I had bought three sets of plain black work robes, a pointed black hat, a pair of dragon hide gloves and a very warm-looking winter cloak with pretty silver fastenings. It took us about five minutes to walk to and find the prestigious wand shop as, being a Squib, Mum'd never entered the magical world; it was her first time to Diagon Alley as well as mine. Upon arriving at Ollivander's, I noticed that there must have been at least two thousand slim, rectangular boxes lining the wall that I guessed contained wands. A old man appeared in front of me. Welcome to Ollivander's! I assume you're here to buy a wand? I nodded and he carried on, Good, good. Now I need to take a few measurements, he trailed off and started pulling out boxes, seemingly at random, whilst a charmed tape measure recorded my hand span, length of my arms, legs and feet as well as other various measurements. After a few moments Ollivander called, That's enough!; the tape measure rolled itself up and dropped onto a shelf nearby. Now that's sorted out, you can try out some wands. Just wave them around a bit, you'll know when you've found the right one. I nervously took the first wand and gave it a quick flick; at first nothing happened, but then box the wand had just come out of set alight. My Mum gave a high-pitched squeal. Never mind, never mind. Not seeming at all suprised, Ollivander extinguised the box with ease. He handed me another wand, and, trying to be less violent with my actions, I tried to do a smooth swish, but all of the boxes along the closest wall fell to the ground, and Ollivander declared once again that it wasn't the right wand for me. What seemed like fifty wands later, and probably was, and much destruction to Ollivander's Shop, he picked out what he called 'his last resort'. Now, before you try this wand I want you to know that although it's is an exciting and fun wand, suited to a mischievous personality, it can be rather noisy when performing spells and refuses to do anything non-verbal. This means that whenever you wish for your wand to cast a spell, you must say it verbally and this may prove to be a disadvantage when at school, as in your sixth year you are required to do spells silently. With that said, would you still like to test this wand? Well I replied, I've not found one so far and look how many I've tried. I'll test this one, because, what if it's the one I'm meant to have? I held my hand out and waited for him to pass me it. Very well, he said, and gave me it. The wand was smooth and sandy colored; it looked very strong. It was beautiful with a darker colored spiral detail on the handle, and was among the heavier wands I had tried. I gave it a quck swish and colorful fireworks erupted out of the tip. I wasn't sure if this was a good or bad sign, because although the fireworks were colorful and quite pretty, was conjuring fireworks a positive sign when testing a wand? Hmm, yes, that is the wand for you. Dogwood, unicorn core, 12 1/4 inches, unyielding. Now remember, it won't perform non-verbal spells and it's a very mischievous and quirky wand that insists upon an exciting master partner, which is why the wand produced the fireworks. That will be seven galleons. Thank-you for your purchase. With a farewell, my Mum and I left the shop. Turning around once more before heading back into the main part of Diagon Alley, I saw Mr Ollivander chuckling to himself. It seemed that my wand had placed some silly springs into the wand box that mine had just come out of, whilst we were all too occupied by the earlier display. If you still want that owl, you have enough money left, my Mum said after we arrived at the front of the emporium. I had to stop myself from running full pelt inside of the shop to find the beautiful bird. Luckily, I didn't have to search long, as it was the biggest one in there and, as soon as I walked in, it hooted and flew onto my out-streached arm. That owl has chosen you, you know. Fiercely loyal birds they are and very intelligent too, it's not often they choose their own owner, but, when they do, it's usually makes a very powerful combination, said the cashier as I approached the register. Walking out with my new owl, a cage and some 'Premium Owl Treats' my Mum and I left Diagon Alley and headed home. So, Vikki, I'm sure you have many questions about the magical world. Over the years of your Auntie being at Hogwarts, I've picked up various facts and, although I've never been included in the magical world myself, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to help you somewhat, Mum said as we were walking along Muggle London to find the portkey McGonagall had made for us. Well, I'm a bit nervous to be honest. I have no idea what to expect. I mean, will I be left out of things because I've been brought up in the Muggle world? Will I fall behind in classes because it will be my first try at anything magical? What do we even learn? What sort of classes are there? Wha- What about if I'm not good any anything? My last question got caught in my throat at first, as this worry had been running through my mind since I first decided I was going to join Hogwarts five weeks ago. I had been panicking that I wouldn't be a good enough witch, and that I would have been laughed at. Don't worry, darling, I'm sure you'll fit in fine. You've always been sociable, just make some friends and, if you do find yourself struggling in classes, don't be afraid of talking to them about it. But, if it makes your feel better, why don't you talk to Professor McGonagall about it once you get there? And you won't be the only person there that has been brought up in the Muggle world, many people that go Hogwarts are Muggle-Borns. This means that they have inherited no magical blood from their parents, but they are still magical. Nobody yet knows why this is, but it happens. So don't worry, you will go there tomorrow knowing more than they will, because they don't have anybody to ask; you've got an advantage over some of the people that will join. So, just try your best and whatever happens, will happen. Now, classes. I remember first year almost perfectly; your Auntie never shut up throughout that first summer, well, that and the fact that I was always badgering her with questions. I was jealous of her magic, I felt like I was missing out so I wanted to know every single detail. It made me feel part of it, even if it was just a minuscule part. But, anyway, you will take eight classes this year: Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Herbology, History of Magic, Transfiguration, Astronomy, Charms and Flying. Oh, how my sister hated flying, she chuckled. You know what she's like, hates not having her feet on the ground. For a while that annoyed me, you know. That she hated something that I would've loved to have a chance at doing. She took it for granted. But that story is for another time, you shouldn't struggle with any of your classes if you just try your best, but remember to owl me and let me know how you're getting on! Do you have any more questions? I shook my head, Good, now, let's get home. You've got a big day tomorrow and you should get an early night. We reached the Portkey; it transported us home as I felt like I was being hooked somewhere behind my navel. It wasn't a particularly unpleasant feeling, but not one that I was in a hurry to repeat. Chapter 2: Platform 9 3/4 It was the day. The day. The day I was going to Hogwarts! I was so excited! The drive to King's Cross Station was painfully slow, I couldn't stop myself from fidgeting as we slowly made our way there. The only thing keeping me under control was my constant day dreams about what I thought the magical world would be like. Soon enough, I saw the train station ahead and was flinging myself out of the car with my trunk and bouncing up and down, impatient for my parents to get out of the car. Earlier worries forgotten, I was lost in the fact that I would finally be going to the place I had been dreaming about since my birthday. Slow down, kiddo, you'll give yourself a heart attack. My dad laughed as he tried to keep up with my fast, excited pace. But I want to get there! I complained, skipping away. My Mum had just caught up as I stopped in front of the wall between platforms nine and 10. Mum had already told me that this was the barrier to the platform that was keeping me away from the magical world. When she first told me I would have to run into the wall to get to the train, I thought she was mad, but I soon realised the practicalities of it so that no Muggles would stumble onto it by accident. Now, as I've said, you have to run straight into that wall there, Mum said, pointing to the aforementioned barrier, But, as neither your Dad or I are magical, we can't escort you there, okay? So have a good time and remember to owl us regularly! I want to hear about everything! She said, pulling me into a tight hug. Have a good time, kiddo. And even though I don't understand much, I still want you to tell me everything! We've told your school that you have gone to a boarding school in England as you don't like Spain, but that you're coming to visit some holidays. We'll miss you, pumpkin. Dad said, ruffling my hair before pulling me into another hug, but this one was gentler than Mum's. I took a deep breath, looked at my parents one last time and shut my eyes as I ran through the wall; they shouted farewells behind me. I braced myself for the collision that never came as I passed through the barrier with ease, and I found myself on Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Going through the barrier was an odd experience, like I had pins and needles all through my body; I was starting to think that all magical transport felt weird. Looking around, the first thing I saw was, well.. Chaos. There were wizards and witches with their families littering the platform and trunks and cages of various animals where strewn about everywhere. There must have been about seven hundred people there. The biggest group was nine ginger haired people taking up most of the room with their various trunks as a woman, who I presumed to be their mother, hugged each of them in turn. As I was taking in my surroundings, a whistle blew and I hastily boarded the scarlet train. I found an empty compartment near the rear of the train, put my trunk in the storage section and curled up next to the window. I was lost in my thoughts and I didn't realize the door had opened until I heard somebody clear their throat. Hi! Do you mind if we sit in here? Everywhere else is full. I looked up to see that one of the red heads that were on the platform smiling down at me. I noticed another boy stood next to him, it must have been his twin, they where identical. They both had short, ginger hair, freckles and quite pale skin. Well, it was pale to me because I was used to the tanned skin of the Spanish. It was the shorter one that spoke and, so far, the only way I could tell them apart was by their height. Sure, go ahead, I smiled, I'm Vikki. The one that had spoken before sat down next to me and gestured to himself, Fred. The other boy sat across from me and smiled, and I'm George Weasley. Nice to meet you. So, are you guys purebloods? I asked them. Yes, I gave a small chuckle as they answered at the same time. Then you will be able to explain some things to me? I asked, hoping they wouldn't mind. Sure, George said. So what are you, Muggleborn? Questioned Fred. Well, I began, I'm not really sure. My Mum's a squib and my Dad is a muggle. Does that make me Muggleborn or half-blood? I've been brought up in the Muggle world and didn't know anything about magic up until three months ago, if that helps? My Grandparents were half-bloods, they met in the magical world. Their parents where purebloods that married muggleborns, I think. After thinking about it for a few minutes, Fred answered. I'd say your half-blood then. You've got too much magical ancestry to be a muggleborn. I nodded, it made sense. So what did you need explaining? George asked. Well.. Everything? I don't know much. There's loads of people that look my age, how do we all fit into one class? Are you two first years as well? Yes, we're both first years. And each year is split into 4 houses- Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Gryffindor is the best, all of our family were lions and thats where we're hoping to be. George explained. And how are we put into houses? Are we just divided? Or do we get to choose? I was becoming very excited as I learned more about Hogwarts, but also more confused as I discovered more things that I didn't know. Your house all depends on your personality. The Gryffindors are brave and courageous, Ravenclaws clever and well.. Just really clever. Hufflepuffs are extremely loyal and fair and Slytherins are evil. Well, officially, they're cunning, ambitious and determined and all the rest, but all the evil people go into Slytherin. So where do you think you'll be? You better say Gryffindor, said Fred, laughing. Well, I hesitated, I love reading and I'm quite clever. But I guess I could still be a Gryffindor? I'm not very brave or courageous though, well I guess I could be deep down, I've just never had a reason to be. Fred smiled, we'll just have to hope that's true. Oh, look! We're nearly at Hogwarts, you better go change into your robes. And that was how my friendship with the Weasley twins started. I walked back to the compartment to find the twins chatting animatedly, seemingly not moved since I left, except that they were in their dress robes. So, um guys? I started nervously, what happens if we're not in the same house? I was worrying that we would be split up since Fred first explain the house traits. Fred smiled, don't worry, we can still be friends. What house do you think you'll be in? Well, I want to be a Gryffindor I said quickly, but I think I might be a.. Ravenclaw. I was top of the year in my muggle school. Like Fred says, don't worry. If you are a Ravenclaw-'' George smiled, reassuring me. ''We can just sneak into your common room and copy your answers, smarty. Fred carried on for George. I giggled a bit, it amused me when they did this. So tell us a bit about yourself, then. George said. Well, before all this happened, I used to live in Spain, I'm fluent in Spanish and this is the first time I've been to England since I was four. I used to go horse riding in the muggle world and I love animals, which is why I bought my owl. I fell in love with her the first time I saw her. Ah, I didn't see your owl, what's her name? George asked. Well, she doesn't really have one. I wasn't sure what sort of names people usually called their owls, to be honest. I was thinking something like 'Star' because of the marking on her head, but it doesn't seem like something you would call your owl. It needs to be something unique and different. How about something Spanish then? Fred offered. Yeah, George agreed, what's Spanish for star? Estrella. But it won't be that different to be, because it's a language I'm always speaking. Fair enough. How about Apollo? Or Adonis? I'm pretty sure they're Greek names. Suggested George. Or Astra? I think that's Greek for star. Added Fred. Astra! I love it! Thanks! Astra hooted in appreciation for her new name. Fred smiled, no problem. The train slowed to a stop and I jumped up to look out of the window, trying to get my first glimpse of Hogwarts. I must have looked disappointed at only seeing a train station platform as the twins chuckled behind me. As first years, we take boats to the castle. So come on, we want to be at the front. I grabbed my trunk and Astra as they dragged me off the train. Firs' years this way! Come along now, follow me! A booming voice shouted. I looked over to see a giant man stood with a lantern. To be honest, he scared me a little bit, but Fred and George just walked straight up to him and introduced themselves. I had a feeling it would take me a while to get used to all this magical stuff. --Victoriarr97 17:53, May 19, 2012 (UTC) © Vikki Hill